Comparison of Romanticism and Realism of the 19th Century

 

Encompassing the early 1800s to mid-century, was the era of Romanticism. This style was more subjective in wanting to entire certain emotions and feelings of an audience. It was theatrical in nature and included subject matter that was more dramatic. It focused on the idealization of nature while avoiding topics such as science and modernization. For this style, I’ve chosen pieces from Caspar David Friedrich and Fracisco de Goya y Lucientes.

Two Men Contemplating the Moon by Caspar David Friedrich

This paining was painted ca. 1825-30 in Germany and consists of oil paints on canvas. The size is fairly small, with dimensions of 34.9 by 43.8 cm. The subject matter consists of Friedrich, who is standing at the right, and his friend August Heinrich outdoors in nature almost looking down the moon. It makes you wonder what they are thinking as they gaze upon the moon at such a time. The lines of the painting are very defined with many of the colors showing the outline of each brush stroke. It seems as if much of the painting is not blended or as detailed as other styles. The colors are a very muted brown with tones of green/brown and even the blue that is shown seems to have a hint of brown. Although the moon is located in an area not typical of a painting, the two men between the trees and upon the hill seem to make a perfect balance for the scene. It’s a very serene sight that makes me believe that the artist wanted the audience to stare in awe of the moon and its location, making me wonder how the moon might be shining right out of my own window. With how small the painting is in size, I think it would certainly be lovely in my own home. It also reminds me of Alaska with the scenery, although the outfits of the men are certainly not relatable. I do love everything about the painting. Something about how the artists made a simple scene look mesmerizing has me appreciating the choices in how they filled up the space as well as the colors used.

Majas on a Balcony by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes

This second piece I’ve chosen from the Romanticism era is this beautiful oil on canvas painting. It is said to be between 1800-1810 that is painted and done in Spain. It is fairly large at 194.9 by 125.7 cm. This painting has the same color palette as Two Men Contemplating the Moon with the background and the two people behind the women in very dark brown and black hues. The women are a nice contrast to the more neutral surrounding and seem to have light that is shining upon only them. It makes me wonder if the women have been captured by the two figures behind them since they show an angelic demeaner while the other two are shrouded in shadow to where they might be criminals within the scene. It certainly has a more theatrical appeal to it and helps the audience make it’s own guess as to what is going on within the painting. The lines of the painting define the figures within the scene, but the lines used seem to blur a lot of the details as well almost showing a subtlety of Impressionism at the same time. The painting also seems to be balanced in an odd way in which the women’s bright clothing take up half the space in the painting, while the brown background and the two figures make up the other half giving a nice cohesiveness to the scene. I’m not sure that I would love this in my house since I don’t like the story behind it, but I still believe it’s a beautiful piece. It’s also a large piece and would be hard to display within my home.

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In comparison to Romanticism, you have Realism as a style that is truly the opposite. The subject matter is considered to not be idealized and portrays the truth within a scene. It shows exactly what they mean to show with no hidden agenda of making the audience feel a certain way. Instead it shows what life is like without the drama and includes mostly ordinary subject matter such as animals, workers, the middle class, as well as normal day-to-day activities for the average person during that time. To represent the Realism era, I’ve chosen to paintings done by Honoré Daumier and Rosa Bonheur.

The Third-Class Carriage by Honoré Daumier

The Third-Class Carriage by Honoré Daumier is an oil on canvas painting that is 65.4 by 90.2 cm in dimension. It’s believed to be painted ca. 1862-64 and done in France. This painting is certainly of a different nature compared to the subjects of the previously mentioned paintings. It shows a scene within a carriage with the people inside looking as if some could be middle-class businessmen as well as female farm owners, with one being a mother feeding her baby. There isn’t much emotion or imagination to determine the story of the scene since it shows you exactly what is going on. The dark hues and muted background of brown seem to be a popular color palette during the 19^th century with blue being the same contrasting color for all four of my artwork choices. This painting has very harsh lines of black that shows a different method even compared to my other Realism choice. The balance shown within the painting also seems to be determined by the color or hue of light colors on the left side of the painting and then the darker colors more prominent on the right side. This would surely be due to the windows that are displayed on only one side of the painting. I do love the choice of subject matter, but the style is not quite to my liking since the style is a bit more gloomy than I’d like for such a scene. If given the choice, I more than likely would not have this in my home even if space is permitted.

 The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur 

My last painting choice is The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur. It was painted between 1852-55 and is an oil on canvas painting that is 244.5 by 506.7 cm in size. The subject matter of this painting is of a horse market that is held in Paris, which is also where the painting was done. Although it is still a neutral palette, with the same colors as the other paintings, it’s a bit more vibrant with the added white of the horses. This painting is much more detailed with the lines much more thing and blended than the other three. The balance of the painting is quite symmetrical in how the horses fill up entire midsection and go from the left edge to the right edge giving a nice scene that reminds me of a panoramic. The trees and the sky also add a nice touch because of the triangle shapes they provide and add to the scenery. The subject matter helps in determining that this painting is certainly of the Realism era with the scenery of how the horse market typically looked like as sellers showed off their animals to be sold off. There is no backstory or question of what is going on and that what tells me how it falls under this style.

Of the two styles, it’s hard to choose a favorite since they both have such great aspects to their style that I love. Within the Romanticism style, it’s hard not to love the theatrical idealism behind each painting. Each one seems to show that there is a story to be found within each scene and it’s all up to the audience to determine what story that is, giving an almost invested reaction to analyzing each one. On the other hand, you have Realism which was perfect in getting the audience to venture out into what the real world looked like and seeing the beauty in it all. I can only imagine that if someone with similar experience as the scenes involved would also be attached to a painting due to being able to relate to it. Each style had a place in society, and I think it was amazing that such contrasting styles could also be found so closely together.

 

REFERENCES:

“Two Men Contemplating The Moon .” Met Museum, Met Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/438417, Accessed November 2, 2022.

“Majas on a Balcony.” Met Museum , Met Museum , https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436548, Accessed November 2, 2022.

“The Third-Class Carriage.” Met Museum, Met Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436095, Accessed November 2, 2022.

“The Horse Fair.” Met Museum, Met Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435702, Accessed November 2, 2022.